The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-11-25
BEFORE AND AFTER.
How Met and Courted the Pres
ent Mrs. Grimes,

1t amt every man that has a chance
to see the worst side of his wife's char
acter afore marriage, and the sweet
ness after. But bein' tinman, with
as good an oattit as travels New Eng
land ROAD, bilers, pans, brooms, tea
Kettles, an all sorts o. nick-nacks,
BEN included, get pretty good back
view of what learned folks call society.
An it was along o. follerin' my trade
In this fashion that first saw the pres
ent Mrs. Grimes.
She was at the wash tub, an the
sdds was flying for all they was with.
She looked pretty, too, though you
might not think it from the work she
was at, for she had red hair and the
water he'd made it curl around the
forehead, an the rubin he'd made
her cheeks rosy, an something I'll tell
of when | get to it he'd made her eyes
snap.
1t was one of those big houses in a
suburb she was dom work at as third
girl, to help the old folks back on the
farm. She could a-gone into mill to
work, but somehow she didn't take so
kindly to mill work, she told me after
wards, as she did to homework, even
If homework was more drudgin' and
confnin'.
The back yard to this house was q
green sort o place, with lots O bushes
an trees afore you got in full sight O.
the kitchen door, an when I'd got
where | was pretty near good view O.
the premises, an afore | could get an
other sight O the little woman at the
tub, l heard some body say, with lots
o. solid meanin' in the tones:
You do that again, an I'll do
some thing more than talk -- now
mindI"
stepped out in full view O. mat
tiers, an there little mite O. rigged-up
babyhood was spillin' dirt into the
wash-tub.
1t was an aggravatin' thing, an I
know jest how that little woman felt
There she was a-working away for
dear life-for it was late an | could
see there was still big pile O. clothes
unWashed-an' that little wretch a.
GRIMM an THROWN in fists full O.
dirt jest wondered what ed happen.
AS I>kept comm nearer the house,
the young rascal ran out for another
handful, an with q face at me skipped
back lively as cricket, an ticipatin' +,
no 6oubt, the fun of more scoldin'.
But he missed his calculations. He
hadn't no more than put his inverted
body close to the tub than the little
woman he'd been tormentin' lust
swooped down on him easy and swift
like, an without q mite o. fuss or
waste of breath, landed him plump in
the suds-slippers, velvet, dirt an all!
While you could count, perhaps five,
she held him there bleached-out little
sinner, too completely knocked out O.
his reckonin' to even cry. Then she
set him, all drippin' like q drowned
rat on the floor, an held him fast by
the shoulders.
you've done that times enough, :"
she said, with grain O temper that ]
found it easy to forgive, San no one
has stopped you. Now I've taken you
in hand, an will see what'll come of it.
Go tell your mother, an tell her I'm
ready to give her an explanation. Now
you CO."
With howl that would have done
credit to Fejee Islander, the soaked
torment started, an his self-constituted
discipliner went to rubin fast an
furious, rs if she he'd still something to
work Off
In spite O. her temper, l should have
liked to give her hearty hand-shake,
but knew enough about suburb folks
an their relations to their third girls
to know such a proceedin' wouldn't be
prudent; it wouldn't help the third girl
81 mite, so | jest travelled back the way
l had come, without a word about bill
ers OF anything else. felt pretty
sure the fewer spectators to the scene
that would follow, when that young.
ster's mother came down stairs, the
better.
The folks in the kitchen had seen me
but knew at least one of them would
be more comfortabler if | left, an
wouldn't lay up agin me any leavin
out o manners. But l made it in my
way to call around there an see if they
had any rags or old paper they wanted
to swap for tinware.
The third girl wasn't there, only thu
second girl ironin' subdued-like at
table. Sh said they didn't trade will
peddlers-they bought all their til
things down to the store. Then
looked round careless, an asked wher
the other girl was, but at that sh
looked scared an said she didn't know
she'd been discharged an no one knew
where she'd gone.
l was mighty sorry at that, for II
admired that plucky dousin', in spite o
the bit O. temper. Well, l said good
bye to the second girl an Travelled
back to my cart.
For more than two months 1 tangled
round on my tin cart, maxim gooC
bargains an swellin' my bank accom.
few dollars each week. / always wa
of a thrifty turn, an it came easy t,
lay by somethin', so do not speak o
it to make credit, only as fact.
thought lots about the washin' day an
wondered what the two women heC
said when the young torment he'd toll
his ma. always smiled when
thought on it, because Twas pretty sur
the mistress didn't get the best of it il
words anyhow. An somehow, be
tween you and me, mistresses coul'